Agent Coulson Just Broke Marvel Comics Canon | Screen Rant
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Taskmaster #2 from Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti
In the latest issue of Taskmaster from Marvel Comics, Agent Phil Coulson has broken Marvel Comics canon. Not in any major or shocking way, but just enough to create a pretty fun easter egg for Marvel fans and longtime readers. In the new series from Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti, Taskmaster is trying to clear his name by helping Nick Fury Jr. find Maria Hill's real killer, despite the fact that the entire spy community believes the villain himself did the crime. Together, Fury Jr. and Taskmaster are trying to look into the last case Hill was investigating, but to do that Taskmaster has to locate three of the most resourceful and capable spies in Marvel Comics, including Agent Coulson. In Taskmaster #2, the mercenary finds Coulson in the one place he can always be counted on to be on a Wednesday: his local comic book store.
In Marvel Comics, Phil Coulson was a massive lover of superheroes, which was a big reason why he did so well as an Agent of SHIELD. He always knew which heroes would be best-suited to recruit for any given mission based on their power sets and personality types. Just like in the MCU, Coulson was also a major Captain America fan and likewise had his own mint-condition trading cards. However, that all changed after the Secret Empire event when Rogers became a sleeper agent and lead his own Hydra takeover of the planet. Rogers ordered Deadpool to kill Coulson, who had uncovered the conspiracy long before anyone else did. However, Coulson has recently been brought back to life to lead a secretly brainwashed and programmable Squadron Supreme of America to serve as the nation's brand new super-team. Of course, this all at the behest of the one who brought Coulson back revealed to be none other than Mephisto the demon lord, who seems to have hidden plans for the team under his control via Coulson, who's completely gone to the dark side and become absolutely disenchanted by all superheroes (especially Cap).
However, Coulson is still going to his local comic book store on New Release Wednesday in Taskmaster #2, just like any dedicated comic book reader/collector. However, instead of picking up any comics about his favorite heroes as he would have before his death, Coulson picks up the latest issue of his own team the Squadron Supreme, which seem to be selling quite well according to the shop owner, as well as the solo titles of the team's individual members such as Hyperion and Nighthawk. However, if fans look closer at the issue Coulson is purchasing, they can see that the cover art is the same as the actual real-life 1997 Squadron Supreme #1 cover from Marvel Comics.
While this is no doubt a great and fun Easter Egg, it does break Marvel canon somewhat. How can the Marvel Universe carry a Marvel Comics title in existence featuring a real-life cover that would potentially be detailing the Marvel Universe's fictional events within its pages? The answer? It probably doesn't. More than likely the cover art is simply what it's meant to be: an Easter Egg. The contents within are more than likely quite different and fictionalized in relation to the "real-life" exploits of the Squadron in the Marvel Universe.
All things considered, it is pretty interesting that the Squadron comics are selling well to the public of the Marvel Universe. No doubt the comics are part of a PR campaign approved by Coulson himself to generate a more positive perception of his team. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing when it's remembered that Mephisto is the one who's really running the show. It seems logical that he and Coulson would want the team to be loved by the public as much as possible, as that will then make their plans for them that much easier to enact once they're ready, whatever those plans and goals may be. In any case, seeing the cover for Squadron Supreme #1 is pretty great, even it does bend or break the Marvel Comics canon a little bit.